O hai Improv Everywhere, raising awareness of Velazquez the Father of Us All.
That random ginger Jew looking kid they found does look a bit like Philip IV doesn’t he? And yes I am allowed to say ginger Jew that is not a mean comment.
Improv Everywhere also faithfully recreated the opening scenes of Star Wars Episode IV THE FATHER OF US ALL (I mean, A New Hope) on the New York Subway. So if you haven’t watched that particular video then you should:
I am pretty much 100% in love with Girl Talk’s newest album, All Day. Sheer joy, y’all. So many high points: the mash up of “Get Low” and “Cecelia,” the random introduction of that song about wishing about being taller, baller, girl caller etc., “In Your Eyes,” “Swag,” I mean, so much goodness. I keep meaning to have a Girl Talk/All Day dance party but I don’t really know anyone who dances. Do you dance?
Speaking of dancing, some creative types in New York City are planning to do an entire video of actual trained dancers dancing to All Day on the Staten Island Ferry. That is so cool y’all. Here’s the trailer.
And here’s the NYTimes article explaining this project.
This makes me want to dance, y’all.
Oh and here’s a particularly rockin’ sample from All Day if, forever whatever absurd reason, you have not yet heard it.
So Google is awesome and this is their homepage today:
Will Eisner would have been ninety-four today. Since I wrote my master’s thesis on a graphic novel I feel that I owe him a major league shout out. The wonderful Scott McCloud also writes a lovely homage on Google’s blog.
Yay and thanks Will Eisner!
I’ve always really liked Thierry Mugler, especially as a fashion curiosity. Someone who did unusual clothes that made women look like the Maria-robot from Metropolis. Since I love robots that look like people, this should not surprise anyone.
I especially love that Thierry Mugler’s work is present in lots of fantastic music videos, and by lots I primarily mean George Michael’s “Too Funky” and Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.” These are both fantastic music videos.
Guys. A motorcycle bustier/corset. A total metallic robot costume. And, in the “Too Funky” video, Linda and Tyra! (This reminds me that I need to do a post on George Michael’s amazing videos, one of which was directed by DAVID FINCHER y’all, but this is a project for another day. And yes, I know that Eric from True Blood is in the “Paparazzi” video, but this is a post about fashion).
So, there was also a great show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a few years ago called Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy and it featured a lot of Thierry Mugler’s works, namely said motorcycle bustier. So that was fun.
So, anyways, Thierry Mugler fell off the map a bit and also got some plastic surgery and then in 2010 designed some perfume and you can read all about that here. But I really think that Lady Gaga brought attention back to the designer, because she is all about his clothes because girlfriend is not afraid to be fierce, and Thierry Mugler’s clothes are for a lady who is fierce. I mean, I am sure there is more to it than Lady Gaga but I like to think that Lady Gaga actually does have the power to resurrect a man.
As some of you may know, Lady Gaga walked walked in the Nicola Formichetti for Thierry Mugler show at Paris Fashion Week. And guys, she was really, unsurprisingly, awesome. Snarling and cat-clawing and column humping and walking in ten-inch heels better than any model awesome. With an amazing weave. The video of the show is below, and is totally worth watching, if only to see some models nearly face plant in their ten-inch heels.
I actually think the collection is really strong. That electric blue is fantastic, and I could see myself wearing a few of these pieces. The lines are just funky enough but still extremely strong and clearly flattering. My one complaint? Too much sheer. The world doesn’t need to see my nipples. Give me that gorgeous electric blue turtleneck dress and I’ll call it a day.
Except I can’t have that dress because Lady Gaga bought the entire collection. Some girls get all the fun.
I first saw Jurassic Park as a terrified eight-year old who spent the second half of the movie curled up in a trembling ball on my mother’s lap. Since then my (not at all irrational, mind you) fear of velociraptors and fan-headed lizards who spit poison into your eyes has somewhat diminished, so I’m able to watch Jurassic Park in all its delicious, meaty glory.
A few years ago I was caught the second half of the movie on television (bless you, TNT, purveyor of weekend-saving Lord of the Rings marathons) while simul-chatting with my friend Paul who lives in Washington, D.C. Since Paul is a boy he loves dinosaurs and, therefore, loves Jurassic Park.*
So don’t read the rest if for whatever stupid reason you haven’t seen the movie and don’t want to be spoiled. SPOILERS Y’ALL. SPOILER ALERT.
Okay. So there is a park with dinosaurs, y’all, and the park’s gone insane because Newman from Seinfeld decided to kidnap some embryos but had to disable all the safety gates in order to escape the park undetected. He and a lot of other people get eaten because, as Ian Malcolm aka Jeff Goldblum aka my future husband so profoundly states: CHAOS. LIFE FINDS A WAY. CHAOS. DINOSAURS WILL EAT YOU.
The film ends with a spectacular set piece in the main hall of the Jurassic Park visitor’s center. The hall’s center holds a tyrannosaurus rex skeleton which is surrounded by a balcony. A banner reading “When dinosaurs ruled the earth” hangs suspended over the whole diorama. The whole thing is very dramatic. Our protagonists, the heroic academic couple and the young but precocious grandchildren of the park founder are getting chased around the main visitor’s center by the velociraptors, who are basically the scariest, smartest, fastest eaters of meat ever. (I am reading this fantasy series, y’all, and there are these villainous creatures who are basically velociraptors but with swords for hands. How amazing is that?)
So these velociraptors have totally cornered our protagonists. I mean, our foursome has no chance of surviving. They are about to become delicious burgers for the velociraptors. And just as the velociraptors are about to pounce on our heroes, the random tyrannosaurus rex that had appeared earlier in the film comes in and eats the velociraptors. (And also smashes the skeleton of the T. Rex–Irony y’all!–and then screams triumphantly as the banner comes crashing down around her. Like she’d just won a Miss Jurassic Park pageant).
So I am watching this happen and chatting with Paul on the internet, and as the T. Rex turns the velociraptors into meaty burgers I type, in a moment of sheer cinematic genius:
“DEUS REX MACHINA.”
Hilarity from the other end of the computer. Hilarity on my end. Continued hilarity today. People, I know this story is just about how I am good with puns, but really, I am so proud of that one moment in my life. For one, crystalline moment, all my theatrical, cinematic, and linguistic knowledge came together to enable the perfect description of a moment in film. I have yet to rediscover such simple, joyous harmony.
So that is my story and why, for the time being, the blog backdrop is WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH. Also, because dinosaurs are great. Sword hands.
*I love dinosaurs too. My favorite is the triceratops.
The Dilettantista 